How Hermione plays Chess
by Dahasmaga
Summary: Hermione's fed up of Ron's "training" Harry in strategy and plays a game of chess to show him just how useful chess really is.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter_

_AN: Part of a bigger piece I'm writing that may or may not ever get finished about a seven part triwizard tournament._

**March, sometime after the task in the lake.**

Ron and Harry were sitting in the class room set aside for Harry's training, facing each other playing chess. Ron was winning by a long way when Hermione came in with Ginny. Seeing the boys play chess Hermione sighed. Ginny just shook her head and placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder to try and calm her down.

Listening, the girls could hear Ron loudly saying "And thats the most important thing about strategy Harry. You have to think three moves ahead."

"I thought it was two moves ahead a moment ago? And that the most important thing was to have control of the most space?"

Hermione took a deep breath before passing her bag to Ginny and walking over to the pair. "Budge over Harry" she said. "I need to show Ron something important about strategy."

"Oi, Hermione. You're interrupting our game" Ron blurted out. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

With a wave of her wand and a mutter the board was set up again. Flipping it round Hermione merely said "Your turn first."

Ron just huffed a moment before glaring at Hermione and moving a pawn. Hermione moved a pawn on her side. Ron moved another pawn and Hermione moved out her bishop. Ron sneered at Hermione and asked "What the hell do you think you're doing trying to teach me about strategy? That's like one of the worst opening sequences possible." Moving his bishop out he took Hermione's bishop.

"I'm sorry Ron. Pay attention here Harry." She reached over and placed another queen on the board bringing her total to 3, taking one of Ron's rooks. "I had a queen hiding under an invisibility cloak here before the battle in ambush."

Ron jumped to his feet shouting "What the hell do you think you're playing at Hermione! Thats not how you play chess."

Hermione nodded. "I know. But its what happens during a fight. Or don't you remember Professor Snape in the Shrieking Shack last year."

"But, but..." stuttered Ron.

Ginny stepped forward, about to step in but Harry glanced at her and shook his head. Nodding, Ginny stepped back and let Ron and Hermione talk.

"And now I'm conjuring a rook here" added Hermione as she added yet another piece to the board, taking one of Ron's pawns. "Check."

"But you can't go twice in a row Hermione." said Ron, his face bright red.

"But in a fight more than one person attacks at once, so I just did. Oh, Ron. I'm really sorry I have to do this."

Ron sat down and pouted silently a moment before moving a knight in between Hermione's new rook and his king.

"I'm sorry again Ron, but this pawn is actually a traitor. You may have thought he was on your side and relied on him for your strategy but he's mine." Hermione swapped over one of Ron's pawns for a new pawn and moved it to the end of the board before swapping it for a queen. "It's now a queen. Check."

Pissed off, Ron swatted at the board and made the pieces fly off to the side. "This is bullshit!" he shouted.

Hermione looked over at the chessboard before nodding at it. "Yes, yes it is." She paused a moment before turning to her side and looking at Harry. "Listen, chess isn't a good thing to practice strategy with, especially magic battles. Everyone follows the same rules, noone changes sides or runs away in fright. There's no apparition or spellcasting. I could have said that my pawn cast 'Flipendo' or something. And even so, theres computers now that can beat all but the best chess players. Pretty soon they'll be able to beat the best. You know why? Because with chess you can look at it all and count up the different moves and find the best one. Theres no imagination, no randomness. No magic."

Ron was sitting there with his arms crossed and an angry expression before snarling "Did you have to do that you damn know-it-all. I was happy when I thought I was good at strategy. Now he's learning spells with you and practicing duelling with Ginny. Now I'm good for nothing."

Hermione just sadly shook her head as she looked at Ron. "I don't have a problem with you spending time playing chess, just don't tell Harry that it's teaching him strategy or anything useful for the tournament. You're Harry's friend Ron. You two enjoy spending time with each other. I'm fully aware that if Harry wants to relax he doesn't come to me." Hermione started to cry, her words coming out as broken sobs. "I would love it if he did because it would mean I didn't have to worry that he only likes me as a walking encyclopaedia."

Harry looked back and forth between the two of his friends, indecision all across his face. He couldn't decide whether to comfort Ron or Hermione. Since Hermione was right next to him he leant over putting an arm around Hermione, causing her to turn into his shoulder and start crying.

Making a decision Harry buried his face into Hermione's bushy hair. "Listen, Hermione?" he whispered. "I really enjoy spending time with you doing whatever. You're a good friend and I trust you with my life. I know that Ron's talking rubbish when he tries to teach me strategy with chess. It's a good excuse to spend time with him. I should have made sure you knew that. But I think this needed to happen."

Looking over at Ron he continued in a louder voice "You never have been, and never will be good for nothing. Who did I take to find the Philosopher's Stone? Who did I take to fight the Basilisk? You. However, from now on if you want to be my first choice to go along with me rather than just one of several then you need to actually work on training in Defence Against the Dark Arts. You were the strategy guy but if you want to continue that role then you need to train in that yourself. I don't know how."

Harry took a deep breath. "You'll always be my friend Ron. You and your family introduced me to so much, taught me so much about the wizarding world. I love just riding brooms together, talking about stuff or playing chess whether you're teaching me strategy or not."

"Unfortunately now that Hermione's brought it up, and I won't hear complaints since she was trying to help me as much as she could, we can't ignore it or pretend it never happened. I've been putting this off for a while, but we all know Voldemort is coming back for certain. I need people standing beside me who will take part, and take it seriously. You've already abandoned me once so far this year. You can be my oldest friend who I spend time with when I don't have to worry about Riddle, which unfortunately will be very rarely. Or, you can be someone who studies hard, practices harder and is ready to shield me and curse my enemies."

Harry hugged Hermione that bit harder a moment then let go and stood up, pulling Hermione along with him. "You need to decide Ron."

Harry, Hermione and Ginny left the room leaving Ron to stare morosely at the floor wondering what to do.


End file.
